Wanda Wiłkomirska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wanda Wiłkomirska
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Wiłkomirska playing
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| Born | 11 January 1929 Warsaw, Poland
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| Died | 1 May 2018 (aged 89) Warsaw, Poland
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Wanda Wiłkomirska (born January 11, 1929 – died May 1, 2018) was a famous Polish violinist and music teacher. She was known for playing both classic music and newer music from the 20th century. She received special awards for sharing Polish music with the world. Wanda also played many new pieces of music for the very first time, including works by Tadeusz Baird and Krzysztof Penderecki. She played on a special violin made by Pietro Guarneri in 1734. Later in her life, she taught music at academies in Mannheim, Germany, and Sydney, Australia.
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Her Life Story
Wanda Wiłkomirska was born in Warsaw, Poland, on January 11, 1929. She started learning the violin from her father, Alfred Wiłkomirski. She then studied at the Academy of Music in Łódź, finishing in 1947. After that, she went to the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary, and graduated in 1950.
She won prizes at several music competitions, including in Geneva (1946), Budapest (1949), and Leipzig (the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition, 1950). In 1952, she competed in the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in Poznań, Poland. She played Karol Szymanowski's Concerto No. 1, which became one of her favorite pieces. She won second prize in this competition. In 1953, she received a special award from the Polish government for her amazing violin playing.
Becoming a Soloist
In 1955, Wanda Wiłkomirska helped open the rebuilt Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall. She played with the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra. That same year, she became the orchestra's main soloist, which means she was the featured player. She performed with them for 22 years, traveling the world with famous conductors like Witold Rowicki.
In 1961, she performed in the United States for the first time with the orchestra. This was the start of her international career. A famous manager named Sol Hurok helped her perform for many excited audiences in the U.S. and Canada. She played in over 50 countries on every continent. In the 1960s and 1970s, she often gave about 100 concerts each year!
In 1969, she performed 37 concerts in Australia. She loved the country so much that she later moved there. Her performances were very popular, and she received many invitations to play with Australian orchestras. In 1973, she was the first violinist to give a solo concert in the new Sydney Opera House.
In 1982, during a difficult time in Poland, Wanda Wiłkomirska decided to stay abroad while on a concert tour. In 1983, she became a music professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim in Germany. Teaching became a big passion for her. She loved sharing her skills and experience with young musicians.
In 1999, she started teaching at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in Australia. She also worked for the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne starting in 2001. She continued to travel between Europe and Australia for concerts, special classes, and competitions. Wanda was also often a judge at violin competitions around the world.
Her Musical Career
Wanda Wiłkomirska often played in a piano trio called the Wiłkomirska Trio. Her sister Maria played the piano, and her brother Kazimierz played the cello. She also performed with other famous musicians like Krystian Zimerman and Martha Argerich.
Wanda was important for introducing many new Polish musical pieces to the world. She performed the first-ever concerts of works by composers like Grażyna Bacewicz, Tadeusz Baird, and Krzysztof Penderecki.
Famous Performances
Wanda Wiłkomirska played in many famous concert halls around the world. These included Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York, Salle Pleyel in Paris, and the Berlin Philharmonie. She performed with top orchestras like the New York Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. She played under the direction of celebrated conductors such as Otto Klemperer and Zubin Mehta.
Recordings
Starting in 1968, Wanda Wiłkomirska began recording regularly for the Connoisseur Society record company in New York. She made 12 albums with them, some with pianist Antonio Barbosa. Two of her albums won important awards: "Best of the Year" in 1972 and the "Grand Prix du Disque" in 1974. She also recorded with other major labels like Deutsche Grammophon and EMI.
Her recordings include music by many composers, such as Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev, and Szymanowski.
Some of her recordings include:
- Wanda Wiłkomirska plays Polish Music, with Paul Dam.
- Prokofieff: Two Violin Sonatas, with Ann Schein on piano.
- Britten Violin Concerto, with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra.
- Wanda Wilkomirska, with David Garvey on piano.
- Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3; Beethoven: Sonata No. 5 "Spring" with Antonio Barbosa on piano.
- Fritz Kreisler's Beloved Melodies, with Antonio Barbosa on piano.
- Ravel: Habanera, Violin Sonata; Grieg: Violin Sonata No. 3, with Antonio Barbosa on piano.
- Bach: Music for unaccompanied violin, Sonata No. 1; Partita No. 2.
Family Life
Wanda Wiłkomirska married journalist Mieczysław Rakowski in 1952. He later became a very important political leader in Poland. They had two sons. One of her sons later moved to Australia.
Her mother, Dorota Wiłkomirska, was also a pianist and music teacher. She even published music books for children.
Wanda Wiłkomirska passed away in Warsaw on May 1, 2018, at the age of 89.
Awards and Recognition
Wanda Wiłkomirska received many honors for her contributions to music:
- Polish State Awards (1953, 1964)
- Order of Polonia Restituta (1981, 2001)
- Medal for her work for the Polish community in Australia (2005)
- Award of the Karol Szymanowski Foundation (1997) for her special focus on Karol Szymanowski's music.
- An Honorary Doctorate from the Music Academy in Łódź (2006).
